stay-in-touch-hearing-aids

How understanding your hearing loss contributes to better success with hearing aids

billing@zoolstra.com (Todd Dean) — Fri, 23 Sep 2022 22:36:51 GMT

Far too often, people get hearing aids but end up rarely using them. The hearing aids don’t provide the benefits that were expected, so the devices are only used in some situations or completely forgotten.

At South Oakville Hearing and Audiology Clinic, our goal is to keep hearing aids out of drawers by ensuring they are as helpful as possible.

The top factor to success is understanding your hearing loss and using that information to select the best devices and treatment plan. When your hearing aids match the hearing challenges you experience, they won’t be a burden to use, but instead, essential to your daily life.

At South Oakville Hearing and Audiology Clinic we allow you to try the hearing aids in YOUR REAL LIFE for an entire month, before having to purchase them. During this month you will come in for a hearing aid check to make any necessary adjustments to the hearing aids.

This is how South Oakville Hearing and Audiology Clinic approaches hearing care. And it is why we help people have better success with their hearing aids.

Understanding hearing loss

What is hearing loss?

Hearing loss is experienced when an individual is not able to hear sounds as well as people with “normal” hearing. Around 54% of Canadians over the age of 40 experience hearing loss to some degree.

Although it is common, hearing loss isn’t as simple as “you have it or you don’t,” and everyone experiences it differently . Some people may struggle to hear lower-pitched sounds, while others may not be able to hear sounds at a higher pitch.

You may have noticed you need to watch TV at a higher volume, or you may find it difficult to follow conversations in certain environments or when certain people are speaking. Some challenges are more common than others, but there isn’t a uniform way that hearing loss is experienced.

Types of hearing loss

Hearing loss can affect one ear or both ears. It can range from mild to profound, often with different pitches experiencing varying degrees of loss.

There are three main types of hearing loss that describe the place in the ear that is damaged or affected:

Conductive hearing loss: In the outer ear or middle ear

Sensorineural hearing loss: In the inner ear or related to the connections between the ears and brain

Combination: A combination of both types of hearing loss

It is our goal to understand the type of the hearing loss during our hearing test. This information will help us to give you the best options for care.

What causes hearing loss

Many different factors can contribute to hearing loss. During your hearing test, we will discuss your lifestyle, health, and noise history. This information will provide clues into the causes and nature of your hearing loss.

Medical history: Your overall health plays a major role in your hearing health. Ear infections can cause damage and lead to hearing loss. Certain diseases, such as meningitis or chickenpox, can cause diminished hearing health, and other medical conditions such as diabetes and sleep apnea have been correlated with hearing loss.

Medications: Regular use of some medications (called ototoxic medications, where “oto” refers to ears) can contribute to damage to the ears.

Lifestyle: A poor diet or an inactive lifestyle can also have a negative impact on your hearing health.

Chronic noise: Your personal noise history is another key factor. Loud noises can cause irreparable damage to the ear. Attending noisy events, such as concerts or sporting events, can damage your hearing.

Extreme noise: Even a one-time exposure to an intense sound, like a gunshot or a firecracker, can cause noise trauma that results in permanent hearing loss.

Work: Occupations that require consistent exposure to loud environments or loud noises from things like power tools or sirens can diminish your hearing over time.

Hobbies: Damage can also occur with long-term noise exposure from recreational activities. Participating in motorsports and practicing hobbies that use power tools can lead to hearing loss.

This list isn’t exhaustive – there are many factors that can contribute to hearing loss and a lot of different ways that hearing loss can be experienced. This is why it is crucial for you to understand your hearing loss before deciding on a solution.

How to understand hearing loss

Get a hearing test

A hearing test is critical in figuring out if you have a hearing loss and what the causes of your hearing issues could be. We also try to connect the impacts of your hearing loss with the challenges you face in your daily life.

An untreated hearing impairment can limit learning potential, cause social anxiety and isolation, and can even increase your risk of dementia . Using a hearing aid in the early stages of hearing loss can reduce these risks.

Review your results with a hearing care professional

Following your test, our South Oakville Hearing and Audiology Clinic professionals will provide a complete hearing aid consultation to review your results and discuss the specific hearing challenges you face. We will make recommendations for your treatment based on your hearing loss.

An ongoing journey to better understand your hearing

Once treatment is selected, we provide ongoing care and maintenance to monitor your progress and help you further understand your hearing loss. The more we learn about your hearing, the more we can optimize the performance of your hearing aids.

You are ultimately in charge of your hearing loss treatment, and understanding your hearing loss will give you the information and tools you need to be proactive about your hearing health.

Start understanding your hearing by booking a hearing test. If you already have hearing aids but they spend more time in a drawer, schedule a hearing aid check-up to see if the devices are the best solution for your hearing loss.

Book an appointment with the South Oakville Hearing and Audiology Clinic today.

Will My Hearing Get Worse Without Treatment

billing@zoolstra.com (Todd Dean) — Mon, 12 Sep 2022 16:39:32 GMT

Hearing aids are among the best-known treatments for hearing loss because they can be effective for a wide range of hearing challenges. They can improve the quality and balance of sounds that are sent to your brain, making it easier for your brain to “hear.” They can bring in soft sounds from your environment that you may not have heard without the use of hearing aids, and they can keep you engaged in conversations, especially in the presence of background noise.

But can hearing aids prevent hearing loss?

The ways that hearing aids help your brain to hear can contribute to long-term hearing health. They aren’t expected to prevent hearing loss, but they can stimulate and maintain the neurological pathways related to hearing.

Proper selection, fitting and use of hearing aids can not only assist with hearing challenges today, but can contribute to healthier hearing in the future.

Benefits of hearing aids

The goal of hearing aids is to minimize the impacts of hearing challenges and assist with listening both in quiet and in noisy environments. By making it easier to listen and comprehend, hearing aids have perceivable and unperceivable benefits such as:

Reduced cognitive effort to hear and understand sounds
Improved relationships and social connections
Improved mental health
Stimulation of the neurological pathways related to hearing
Better spatial awareness and reduced risk of falls

These are the benefits of hearing aids that are often the main motivators to consider hearing aids. Managing hearing loss contributes to healthier relationships, mental health, and well-being.

Many of these benefits are related to the brain and its role in hearing. This connection between the ears and the brain can also contribute to healthier hearing in the future and potentially the prevention of further hearing loss.

To understand how hearing aids can contribute to the prevention of hearing loss, it’s important to consider how hearing aids are designed to operate.

How hearing aids help

Hearing loss is often the result of damage to the tiny hair cells in the ear. This damage can be caused by loud noises, ageing, disease, and many other factors.

Damage to the tiny hair cells reduces the ears ability to detect and capture sounds. When it sends sound signals to the brain for processing, those signals may be weak or incomplete.

Hearing aids are designed to improve the strength and clarity of the sounds that you have difficulty hearing. They can increase or decrease the volume of specific pitches (think of an equalizer), which in turn ensures the brain receives more balanced and complete signals.

The brain’s job in hearing

The brain interprets the sound signals it receives from the ears. Over the years, our brains have learned to recognize familiar sounds, filter out unwanted noises, determine the direction sounds are coming from and even focus on the sounds we want to hear, this is known as “selective attention.”

But the brain has no control over the sound signals it receives from the ears. If the signals are weak or incomplete, it takes more cognitive effort to hear.

Fortunately, the brain is adaptable. It can fill in gaps or try to interpret weak signals based on sounds that it has heard before. For example, if you move to a new home that is located near a busy road, the traffic noise may be a nuisance. Over time, your brain learns that these sounds are unimportant and tunes them out. You can also learn which sounds are important. Many parents become hypersensitive to the sounds of their newborn child and will recognize those sounds even in an extremely a noisy environment.

Hearing aids support the brain

Hearing aids improve the quality of the sound signals that are sent to the brain.

The higher the quality of the signals, the easier it is for your brain to interpret. Your brain requires less cognitive effort to listen and comprehend. This explains why untreated hearing loss is associated with being more tired at the end of the day and higher rates of depression.

Since the brain adapts to the signals it is receiving, higher quality signals can nurture old or new neurological pathways related to hearing. When you first start wearing hearing aids, it sometimes takes time to nurture these new pathways and adjust to new stimulation. Over time, appropriate stimulation contributes to maintaining the neurological pathways that you rely on for hearing.

Minimizing future hearing loss

Properly selected and fitted hearing aids deliver stronger and more balanced signals to the brain. This promotes stimulation of the brain pathways specific to hearing, which can contribute to healthier hearing in the future.

Since hearing loss is commonly the result of various factors, hearing aids will not prevent all hearing challenges in the future. But they can certainly contribute to healthier hearing in the short and long term.

Follow these steps to minimize future hearing loss:

Understand the state of your hearing today: Book an appointment to get a hearing test to determine if hearing loss is present.
Avoid preventable damage: Hearing protection during any loud activities can minimize damage to your ears.
Select appropriate hearing aids: If you have hearing challenges and will benefit from hearing aids, work with an audiologist or hearing instrument specialist to select the technology that will deliver appropriate amplification and neurological stimulation.
Get professional support: Ongoing professional support will ensure your hearing aids are properly programmed and fitted.

The more you know about your hearing health, the better decisions you can make to manage your current hearing challenges and prevent future ones. Our team specializes in custom hearing solutions that consider the short and long-term benefits of hearing aids.

How To Adjust To New Hearing Aids (6 Tips)

billing@zoolstra.com (Todd Dean) — Fri, 05 Aug 2022 23:58:33 GMT

It often takes between 2 weeks and 6 months to adapt to new hearing aids. This process is normal, but the timeline and experiences differ from person to person.

There is no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to adjusting to new hearing aids, but there are some trends. Here are some of our top tips:

Get your hearing aids professionally fit
Wear your hearing aids as much as you can (it’s ok to build up to a challenging environment)
If your hearing aids are uncomfortable, try turning down the volume
Let your hearing professional know if you experience any issues
Keep in mind your experience has no baseline
Start a routine as soon as possible

Why Is There an Adjustment Period for Hearing Aids?

When you get new hearing aids, the brain needs time to adapt to new sounds.

Prior to using new hearing aids, the brain was used to receiving a certain mixture and balance of sounds. New hearing aids provide a different mixture and balance, which takes time for our brains to adjust to. This adjustment period is also common when going from older hearing aid technology to newer technology.

The brain can adapt to new ways of hearing, but it takes time. This time varies from person to person, but it is usually between 2 weeks to 6 months. This process depends on the causes of your hearing loss and how your brain adapts to change.

But consider this good news: your brain can adapt to new hearing aids and leverage the technology for ongoing improvement.

Tips For Adjusting to New Hearing Aids

1. Get your hearing aids professionally fit

Hearing health professionals understand the process of adapting to hearing aids. We will ensure your new hearing aids are optimized according to your hearing and comfort.

New hearing aids are often programmed to up to 80% of the full hearing targets. This process is known as “acclimatization” and intends to improve the comfort of new devices. As you get used to your new devices, your clinician will bump up the settings until they are optimized for your hearing

If fit poorly, your hearing aids won’t match your hearing loss prescription and will tend to be more uncomfortable and less functional.

2. Wear your hearing aids as much as you can

We recommend wearing your hearing aids all the time if possible. The more time you spend wearing hearing aids, the more time your brain gets to adapt to the new sounds it receives. Of course, remove your hearing aids if you experience pain or extreme discomfort – and let us know right away.

3. If your hearing aids are uncomfortable, try turning down the volume

Even with the volume turned down, wearing hearing aids gives your brain an opportunity to adjust to new sounds. Again, the longer you wear your hearing aids, the more time your brain has to adjust to them. It's all about finding a balance between comfort and training your brain.

We recommend that you keep track of your progress. Take notes of the time, situations, or environments where you find your hearing aids burdensome or uncomfortable. This information can help us improve the settings and programming of your hearing aids.

4. Let your hearing professional know if you experience any issues

Most problems can be fixed, but we need to know about your issues to fix them. We recommend sharing your problems and concerns with your clinician.

Hearing aids sometimes come with custom-fit ear molds that can initially cause discomfort, but if you experience any severe pain, they can be adjusted. Your hearing professional can also adjust settings like hearing aid volume levels and background noise filters.

At South Oakville Hearing and Audiology Clinic, we are dedicated to supporting and guiding you through every step of the hearing care process. We want to hear your challenges so we can fix any issues. That is why we include ongoing follow-up care with your purchase of new hearing aids.

5. Keep in mind your experience has no baseline

You have no reference point when it comes to adjusting to new hearing aids. This makes it difficult to make comparisons, so it’s best to keep an open mind to this new experience.

We recommend patience and willingness to share your experiences. Be sure to keep your clinician informed of any updates or challenges, and also let your close family and friends know what you are going through. Most people are understanding and accommodating when they know what is happening.

6. Start a routine as soon as possible

Wear your hearing aids as much as possible. Take breaks if you're uncomfortable but try to wear them for as long as possible. Track how long and where you have been wearing your hearing aids.

New routines take time to create, but they will get you in the habit of using hearing aids as soon as possible. Remember: you’re training your brain to get used to receiving new sounds. When it becomes a routine, you will forget you are even wearing hearing aids.

Fine-Tune Your Hearing Aids

New hearing aids from South Oakville Hearing and Audiology Clinic come with ongoing service and fine-tuning. Our goal is to minimize issues and maximize comfort – so your hearing aids will stay out of drawers and be helpful for years after your purchase.

Frequently Asked Questions About Hearing Aids

billing@zoolstra.com (Todd Dean) — Fri, 05 Aug 2022 23:32:26 GMT

The questions we hear the most from people considering hearing aids

These frequently asked questions about hearing aids are useful for two reasons:

They answer the questions that we hear the most at South Oakville Hearing and Audiology Clinic when people are considering new hearing aids.
They are great questions to ask when you meet with a hearing care professional.

If you have an upcoming hearing test, the questions below will be discussed but we also recommend you bring any and all questions and ask them during the consultation.

We are dedicated to explaining hearing technology and the steps to better hearing. If you have any questions about hearing aids (or are not sure what to ask your hearing care professional), send us a message.

Will I need hearing aids?

One of the top questions about hearing aids that we hear is: will I need hearing aids?

If you suspect you might have hearing loss or other hearing challenges, then it has probably crossed your mind that you might need hearing aids.

The answer to the question is not a simple “yes” or “no.” Instead, it depends on many factors including the type of hearing loss, degree of loss, impacts of the hearing loss and your daily routines and habits. Hearing aids are a common recommendation for people with hearing challenges, but they are not a universal solution.

A hearing test is the best way to know if you would benefit from hearing aids. By reviewing how well you can hear and comprehend speech, we can determine how much you would benefit from wearing hearing aids. Since hearing aids are more suited to some types or degrees of hearing loss, we need to complete a hearing test before providing a recommendation.

At South Oakville Hearing and Audiology Clinic, we only recommend hearing aids when the information from a hearing test indicates you will greatly benefit from wearing the devices.

How well do hearing aids work?

For many people, their first memory of hearing aids is their grandparent or parent complaining about squealing or clunky devices. The older technology was prone to feedback and did not deliver natural sounds that modern hearing aids do, so the devices received more complaints than compliments.

Thankfully technology has advanced since then. The latest innovations have focused on natural sounds and seamless experiences so wearers can get more benefits with fewer annoyances.

One of the best parts of our job is watching hearing aid technology evolve at an incredible pace. Every year, new features and technologies are released that improve the experience. Hearing aids now provide a more natural sound that matches the environment you are in.

Today’s hearing aids are nothing like the ones your grandparents wore. And we expect the next generation of devices to be nothing short of incredible.

What are the benefits of using hearing aids?

It is understandable to be hesitant about getting new hearing aids. Many people question if hearing aids are worth it for them, and they ask us about the benefits of using hearing aids.

We answer this question by describing what to expect at every stage of hearing aids. Some aspects may take time to get used to:

Starting a new habit of wearing the hearing aids
Getting used to wearing hearing aids
Getting used to hearing a broader range of sounds
Learning how to clean and maintain the devices

We also describe the benefits of wearing hearing aids (besides the ability to hear better):

Modern hearing aids sound natural and can seamlessly adjust to different situations or environments
They are getting easier to operate, and many hearing aids can wirelessly connect to your smartphone and stream the sound from your television
Not only is better hearing integral to your quality of life, but it helps to prevent dementia and improve your relationships.

How long does it take to get used to hearing aids?

When you start wearing hearing aids, your brain requires time to adjust to the new sounds. This adjustment period varies for everyone, so we always schedule follow-up appointments after fitting new devices to check in and see how you are doing.

Sometimes, this adjustment period may be less comfortable than expected. During your first fitting, we will provide tips and suggestions to ease this process and start getting the most benefits out of your hearing aids as soon as possible. First time users are often fit at only 80% of the goal and over the months gradually build up to more sound as they become acclimatized.

What is the difference between hearing aids?

Hearing aids come in various colours, styles and technology levels. Your choice of style and fit mostly depends on your preferences for fit and comfort, although some styles are more suited to different hearing losses. To select the optimal technology level, we will review the results from your hearing test to see what features would make the biggest difference in your life.

Modern hearing aids can come with many features like tinnitus support, wireless connectivity (to smart phone and TV), remote controls or compatibility with cell phones to boost call volume – just to name a few. Our recommendations for the features will be based on your lifestyle, work, hobbies, and habits.

How much do hearing aids cost?

Hearing aid prices vary depending on the technology levels. If you find yourself in a lot of challenging listening environments you may find the most benefit in higher-end technology. A common myth is that size and shape have a big impact on price and that’s just not the case, it mostly comes down to the tech inside the devices.

We carry hearing aids for every budget, and we will assist in navigating any options for hearing aid funding to offset the costs of new devices.

No matter the devices you select, the most important aspect is being fit by a Hearing Professional that you trust and feel comfortable with. A properly fit and programmed hearing aid optimizes the performance and output of any device, ensuring you are getting the full value from your hearing aids.

Are hearing aids worth it for me?

Even though this question is not often asked aloud, we understand that it is the core question that many people ask themselves when considering hearing aids.

There are two ways to answer this question. First, see our article: It is worth getting hearing aids?

And second, book a hearing test and consultation at South Oakville Hearing and Audiology Clinic. We strive to provide as much information as possible so you can evaluate your options and make a confident decision. We’ve seen how life-changing hearing aids can be when they are properly tailored to each individuals needs, and the first step is explaining what to expect and answering all your questions about hearing aids.

Book a hearing test and consultation today.

What To Expect From a Hearing Test

billing@zoolstra.com (Todd Dean) — Sat, 30 Jul 2022 00:07:13 GMT

Hearing tests are the core of hearing care. At South Oakville Hearing and Audiology Clinic, we go beyond simply measuring how well you can hear and get the necessary information to make data-driven recommendations that will make the biggest difference for your hearing loss.

We always start with a comprehensive hearing test and ear examination. From there, we will outline the options that have the best potential in your daily life. If you’re new to hearing care or have already been using hearing aids for years, book an appointment for a hearing test to learn more about your hearing.

Why get a hearing test

A hearing test is a process to get information to better understand your hearing and make informed decisions for any treatment, technology, or next steps. The main reasons to get a hearing test are:

Understand where your hearing is at today
Get data to make an informed decision
Get a hearing baseline to use in the future

Understand your hearing

Understanding your hearing loss is the top success factor with hearing aids . A hearing test aims to describe the state of your hearing and uncover what factors may have contributed to a hearing loss. By discussing your lifestyle and health history, your hearing specialist will explore how any hearing issues may be impacting your daily life.

A hearing test will also aim to uncover the type of hearing loss and location within the auditory system where they might be a problem. There are different types of hearing losses depending on the location within the ear where the issues originate, so a hearing test can clarify why you hear the way you do.

Get data

A hearing test is often the first step when considering technology or treatments to manage hearing challenges. If hearing aids are an option, then the data from the assessment is integral when deciding the type and technology level and if hearing aids are worth it for you.

We want you to be confident in the decision you make. If you already wear hearing aids or are deciding which ones to get, then understanding your hearing is the best action you can take to improve the outcomes of your devices. Our hearing professionals rely on the data from a hearing test to make recommendations for your next steps.

Get a hearing baseline

One in five Canadians have at least a mild hearing loss in the range of sounds that are important to speech. Over time, the likelihood of age-related hearing challenges increases.

A hearing test before you have discernable challenges with your hearing provides a baseline of information that may be incredibly useful in the future. By comparing current results to a previous hearing baseline, a hearing professional can identify the sounds that were most impacted and potentially explain what is happening within your hearing system.

Screening tests in schools are common for children, but many adults don’t get a hearing test until there is an issue. Even if your hearing is healthy, a baseline test will provide valuable information. It is even more critical for anyone that works in noisy environments or is at risk of noise trauma. Should there ever be a concern, this information provides a direct comparison.

What to expect from a hearing test

The complete hearing evaluations from South Oakville Hearing and Audiology Clinic will help you understand your hearing, get you the data necessary to make informed decisions, and provide you with a baseline of information to use in the future. Our hearing tests are complimentary because we want to contribute to better hearing health for all adults on Vancouver Island.

A hearing test at South Oakville Hearing and Audiology Clinic includes five steps:

Discuss your hearing and any concerns you may have
Review your health history and lifestyle
Physical examination of the ear canal with live video feedback when needed
Screening test of the middle and inner ear
Review of the results

Discuss your hearing

We gather clues about your hearing by discussing any challenges that you notice – and challenges that you may not even be aware of. Many people adapt to their hearing loss through intentional and unintentional habits. Our hearing professionals will ask questions to learn about how any issues with your hearing may be affecting your life.

Review your health history and lifestyle

Hearing health relates to your overall health and lifestyle at home, work and beyond. Your hearing professional will review your health history to understand any issues or medications that may contribute to hearing challenges. By reviewing your daily habits, we will identify potential hearing loss factors and get information that is essential for recommending possible solutions.

Physical examination of the ear canal

Using a tiny camera to look inside your ear canal, the hearing health professional will physically examine the state of your ear up to the eardrum. We can even show you the video as we examine the ear!

Tympanometry

A device we use that allows gentle comfortable pressure to test the health of the eardrum and the moving parts behind them. Middle ear health is important to test to find out where the origins of any hearing issues may be stemming from.

Hearing test

This step includes the hearing tests that most people are familiar with. You will sit in a sound booth with headphones and listen to both tones and words, and then you’ll be asked to respond to the beeps or repeat the words. It’s a very friendly and easy-going experience.

Discuss the results

After completing the hearing test, your hearing professional will review the results and explain what they mean for your hearing. We can learn about the state of your hearing through our hearing evaluation, so we will take the time to go through the details. If hearing aids are a recommended option, we will review what to expect and the next steps for deciding on the best devices.

Passing or failing a hearing test

Hearing tests are not a pass or fail – they are an assessment of where you are today.

No matter the results, we will review the details of the test and discuss where you want to be with your hearing. If there is a gap between where you are today and what you want from your hearing, we can suggest the options available to shrink that gap. The options may include hearing aids, but we will rely on the results from the test to make the best recommendations.

Book a hearing test

Schedule an appointment for a hearing test at South Oakville Hearing and Audiology Clinic. The results from the test will help you understand your hearing and be confident in the next steps in your hearing journey.

Guide to choosing the right hearing aids:

billing@zoolstra.com (Todd Dean) — Thu, 30 Jun 2022 01:49:44 GMT

Researching the various types of hearing aids can feel like you are going down a deep rabbit hole of information and it can be extremely overwhelming. The various hearing aid manufacturer’s have some great information on their websites however, they are selling a product, and therefore the information on their websites can seem biased.

One website that I often like to refer my clients to is hearingtracker.com . This website was launched in 2013 as the worlds first independent resource for hearing aid consumers. My favorite page is “picking the perfect hearing aid” linked here . This page will bring you through important points to consider when purchasing a hearing aid and rank the various manufacturers against each other. Below is a screenshot of what to expect:

Hearing Tracker, Best Hearing Aids, 2022.

Your needs matter most.

After getting a good idea about the various hearing aid manufacturers and their technological offerings it is best to consider YOUR needs. Specifically, what do you expect the hearing aids to do? If you are extremely socially active, live a busy lifestyle, and are involved in a lot of difficult listening situations, then you may want to look into getting a premium level of technology. However, if you are NOT very socially active but go out to dinner at a restaurant once a year, you may ALSO want to get a premium technology because you will be sure that the hearing aid will allow you to hear your best when you need it most! Clear as mud right? Not so much…. Which brings me to my next point.

Talk to a hearing healthcare professional.

This is why it is important to get your hearing tested by an audiologist, speak to them about your specific needs and budget, and together, you can agree on a treatment plan and hearing aid. It is really hard to funnel yourself into a category without considering all of the hearing aid technologies that matter most to you. Having an audiologist that you trust to help guide your decisions is extremely important.

Make use of hearing aid trials.

Most hearing clinics provide no charge hearing aid trials from two weeks to a month. This is the perfect time to test drive the various hearing aid technologies and find out what works best for you in real life, not just in the hearing clinic.

Consider your budget.

Hearing aid costs can range from $1000-$6500 for the pair. That is not a small price to pay! There are hearing aids available at every price point, and it is important to have an audiologist guide your decision making based on your hearing loss and your needs.

Shopping for a hearing aid can be extremely overwhelming and confusing but choosing the right audiologist who will work within your budget and consider your lifestyle will make the process significantly easier.

Happy Hearing Aid Hunting!

Gaby

How to Clean and Maintain your Hearing Aids

gabylesniak85@gmail.com (Gaby Lesniak) — Wed, 20 May 2020 03:05:50 GMT

As much as I miss seeing patients in the clinic, the MOST IMPORTANT thing for me as a health professional is the HEALTH AND SAFETY of both my patients and myself. Hence, why I am writing this blog post about how to clean and maintain your hearing aids, so that you can avoid coming into the clinic as much as possible and maintain social distancing recommendations.

First things first, every night before you go to bed, its important to wipe down your hearing aids with a cloth. It doesn’t have to be a special cloth, any old cloth will do, however, those microfiber clothes that come with your hearing aids and glasses are a really great tool to use. This process just gets the moisture off on your hearing aids. If you have RECHARGEABLE hearing aids, make sure to spend a little extra time cleaning the moisture off of the contact point between the hearing aid and the charger (see, battery drawer, above).

After you wipe down the hearing aids it is a good idea to take the brush that was included in your hearing aid kit when your purchased it (if you lost it, a toothbrush will do the trick) and gently brush the microphone openings of the hearing aids which can be seen below. This will get any tissue that has fallen from your face or skin out of the microphone opening, which is the place that receives external sound, so its important to keep that clean.

AT LEAST, once a month you are going to have to change the wax filter of the hearing aids (pictured above). The wax filter can be found by taking off the dome of your hearing aid. You will see a little white basket, this is the wax filter. Although they are manufactured with nano coating that should make earwax slide ride out of them, often times they do get plugged up, reducing or eliminating the sound getting to your ears. Each hearing aid manufacturer has a different wax guard removal system, click on the link below to find your model of hearing aid, and a video on how to appropriately change the wax guard of your hearing aid. If you are a person who produces a lot of wax, you might want to do this every two weeks or whenever you feel like the sound coming from your hearing aid is muffled or gone.

Finally, if you have a BTE (Behind The Ear) hearing aid, you have ONE extra step that may or may not require a visit to the clinic. If the tubing on your hearing aid becomes hard, filled with moisture, or plugged with wax, please contact your hearing care clinic for new tubing. The tube can be mailed to you for replacement, alternatively, you can drop your hearing aid off at your local hearing clinic and a technician will have it replaced for you within ten minutes.

I know this is a short and sweet post, but I feel like it is important to have these tidbits of knowledge in order to keep you out of the clinic and safe at home.

Happy Isolating Everyone

Gaby Lesniak- Owner and Audiologist

The link between hearing loss and dementia

billing@zoolstra.com (Todd Dean) — Wed, 11 Mar 2020 01:23:17 GMT

There have been a lot of articles released on the relationship between hearing loss and dementia, most recently, this December 2019 New York Times Article , written by Jane Brody, “For Better Brain Health, Preserve Your Hearing” which highlights the importance of hearing testing and wearing hearing aids if you have a hearing loss. Let’s dive into some of the theories behind the relationship between hearing loss and dementia.

Brain cell stimulation. There is a theory that if you are not adequately stimulating the brain with auditory input, the brain cells responsible for processing sound can shrink. This is supported by a study from Dr. Frank Lin at Johns Hopkins and the National Institute on Aging (2014). Lin and his colleagues gave an MRI to 126 participants every year for ten years, some with normal hearing, and some with at least a mild hearing loss. The results of the study showed that those individuals with impaired hearing, lost “an additional cubic centimeter of brain tissue each year compared to those with normal hearing.” (Lin, 2014)

Social isolation. In the field of gerontology there has been many studies supporting the theory that social isolation is one of the top predictors for morbidity and mortality in older adults. There was an amazing Ted talk by Susan Pinker, who is a medical psychologist about how the secret to living longer may be your social life. But why? The research suggests that socially isolated people have an increased upregulation of pro- inflammatory genes and increased inflammation, which causes negative health effects in the body and stimulates the aging process (Cacioppo, 2011; Cole et. Al., 2007)

The final link between hearing loss and dementia is cognitive load. According to Kahneman (1973), each individual has a pool of cognitive resources for thinking, memory, and planning. As we age, we can lose some of these resources because the brain shrinks in volume (Peters, 2006). If you have a hearing loss, and decreased cognitive resources, this can overwhelm the brain because it is not receiving the proper input from the ears and it has to work harder to process that signal. Studies have shown that the brain will actually re allocate resources that are meant for other processes such as thinking, memory or planning, in order help process speech, and in the end that could compromise other brain functions such as short term and long term memory.

What should I take from the research?

Dr. Frank Lin (2014) suggests that

“"If you want to address hearing loss well, you want to do it sooner rather than later. If hearing loss is potentially contributing to these differences we're seeing on MRI, you want to treat it before these brain structural changes take place."

The way that I interpret this is three-fold:

1) Get your hearing tested as soon as you suspect you have a hearing loss and for sure by the age of 60

2) If you have a hearing loss, get fit with hearing aids sooner rather than later, before those brain structural changes take place

3) Stay engaged, a recent Harvard Health article revealed that people who have strong social connections tend to live longer and healthier lives.